Currently, flexible medical tubing is used to transport any variety of liquids during medical procedures. A flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a typical material used for medical tubing due to their inherent flexibility and translucency. Unfortunately, polyvinyl chloride tubing has significant amounts of low-molecular weight chemicals that can leach during medical treatments. Further, the disposal of PVC-based waste by incineration causes environmental issues due to the release of toxic gases.
Alternative materials to flexible PVC have been adopted to make flexible medical tubing. Polymers that may be desired typically include those that are flexible, transparent, and appropriate for certain applications. Unfortunately, many polymers may not have all the physical or mechanical properties desired. For instance, inherently rigid polymers, such as semi-crystalline polymers, need to be modified to be appropriately utilized in certain applications where flexibility and increased tensile strength are desired. However, modification is difficult for semi-crystalline polymers.
As such, an improved polymeric material that has improved mechanical properties is desired.